Chapter 46: The Hardship of Refugees

"This is a world where Immortal Cultivators exist; I wonder where one could obtain an Immortal Cultivation Technique?"

Meng Yifan urgently wanted to embark on the path of immortal cultivation, but unfortunately, up to this point, he still had not come into contact with any real Immortal Cultivators.

Rumor had it that the master of Wanxiang Tower in Luolong County was an Immortal Cultivator; not knowing if this news was true, Meng Yifan decided that once his strength had improved, he could go and investigate.

Meng Yifan put away his Ghost Head Broadsword, then, carrying the Elm Cannon on his back, quickly ran toward the outside of the city wall. On the way, he continuously used the Lingbo Microsteps lightness skill, longing to increase his proficiency.

"Strange!" When Meng Yifan was chasing Wang Lei, he had gained ten points of proficiency in Lingbo Microsteps along the way, but on the way back, despite consuming almost the same amount of True Qi and traveling the same distance, he only gained one point of proficiency.

"Could it be that because there are no enemies, there is no sense of crisis, and therefore proficiency cannot be improved quickly?" Meng Yifan thought thoughtfully; perhaps it was only in battle that one could quickly improve skill proficiency.

Meng Yifan's speed was very fast. A minute or two later, he appeared outside the city wall of Luolong County. The spot where he and Wang Lei had climbed over the wall was now guarded by a dozen or so yamen runners. Torches were lit all around, illuminating the area brightly, and even the nearby Shenwu Great General Cannon was aimed in this direction, seemingly ready to fire at any moment.

That Shenwu Great General Cannon was made of bronze, larger and thicker than Meng Yifan's Elm Cannon, and could be loaded with more gunpowder. It was said that it could fire over five hundred meters; in terms of power, it was indeed much stronger than the Elm Cannon, but it was very cumbersome and inconvenient to move, so it could only be used for defending the city.

Meng Yifan hid in the shadows without showing himself, instead quickly circling the city wall. Luolong County only had about three hundred yamen runners, yet they had to guard all four sides of the city wall; they would certainly be unable to attend to everything at once.

Where there were many guards here, there would be fewer guards elsewhere; he would always find a place with weak defenses.

Outside the city wall of Luolong County, there were many thatched huts, all built by refugees from the surrounding villages. Their hometowns had been occupied by Demon Beasts, and they had luckily escaped to the county seat, but they could not afford to buy a house in the city, nor could they afford to stay in an inn. After dark, they could only leave the city and live in the thatched huts.

The refugees here lived very difficult lives. Many elderly people had nothing to eat and could only lie on the ground, weak and listless, waiting to be starved to death.

The strong and able-bodied worked as laborers in the city during the day in exchange for a little pitiful food, which the whole family would share to barely half-fill their stomachs, then they would go to sleep early. As soon as the sky brightened, they would have to enter the city again to begin a day of labor.

There were also some strong laborers who were single and had no family to worry about; they brought food back and became the most popular people in the Refugee Camp. With just one steamed bun, one could choose a beautiful woman in the Refugee Camp.

No force was needed; those women, for the sake of a bite to eat, were all willing to sell themselves.

From one thatched hut, an aged voice came, "Cuihua, we really have no food left. Just take pity on your old father and go sell yourself."

"Wuu wuu..." The sound of a young woman crying came out. Meng Yifan was stunned for a moment, then stopped his steps.

"Don't cry. Your father has no other way either. At a time like this, there's no shame in it. That is also a way to survive; it's better than being starved to death." The aged voice sounded again.

Meng Yifan felt very uncomfortable in his heart. This father was actually forcing his own daughter to sell herself; it was truly shameless to the extreme.

"Father, I am a maiden; if I go and do this kind of thing, how will I be able to marry anyone in the future?" the young woman sobbed.

"Sigh! In this world, what kind of future is there? Let's just live one day at a time." The aged man seemed to have despaired, thinking only of being able to eat a full meal. For the sake of having food, he was even willing to let his daughter sell herself.

The young woman hesitated for a long time, but finally yielded and said, "Alright."

Meng Yifan felt very heartbroken. He believed that if the father hadn't truly been out of options, he wouldn't have forced his daughter down this path, but he still despised this old man.

There were plenty of Wild Beasts outside the city; as long as one dared to fight for their life, there would always be a bite to eat.

Even if one fought a Wild Beast and was bitten to death, it would be better than letting one's daughter sell herself in exchange for food. Living in such humiliation was better off dead.

Not long after, a sixteen or seventeen-year-old young woman walked out of the thatched hut, preparing to find those men with food to engage in that lowly flesh trade.

Meng Yifan looked at this woman. If it were in his past life, a girl of this age would still be a minor, carrying a schoolbag and studying in school, but in this world, they had to sell their pure bodies for a bite to eat.

"Sigh! This godforsaken world." Meng Yifan felt some pity for this woman, so he handed her a piece of Monster Cured Meat weighing about a pound.

The woman was stunned. She hadn't expected that as soon as she stepped out, she would have business, but wasn't Meng Yifan a bit too young? He looked to be only eleven or twelve; did he also want to taste a woman?

That fifty-something-year-old man rushed out, snatched the Monster Cured Meat, and said to Meng Yifan with a bowing, fawning smile, "Guest, please go in. This old man will go wander elsewhere and won't disturb you. Cuihua, take good care of the guest."

Cuihua felt very ashamed, but her father had already run off with the Monster Cured Meat. It was impossible for her to get it back, so she gritted her teeth and walked into the thatched hut without a word.

Meng Yifan sighed, did not walk into the thatched hut, but quickly ran toward the distance.

Inside the thatched hut, Cuihua waited for a moment and, discovering that the youth hadn't come in, looked outside with some curiosity, only to find the youth's figure flickering and disappearing into the darkness in the distance with astonishing speed.

"He is a powerful Martial Artist, and also a kind person. He didn't want to take advantage of me; he just wanted to help me." Cuihua realized this, then shook her head. A piece of Monster Cured Meat could only sustain her and her father for a day or two. What would they do after that? They would still have to sell themselves. Sigh, this is all fate.

Meng Yifan ran far away, but he still felt very uncomfortable. There were at least several thousand refugees gathered outside the city. Even if Meng Yifan took out all the Monster Cured Meat in his family, he couldn't save so many refugees.

"Why doesn't the government provide disaster relief? Do they really want to watch the refugees outside the city all starve to death? Inside the city, it is like a prosperous age, while outside the city, it is already a living hell. What is the County Magistrate of Luolong County thinking? Even if they let the people inside the city economize a little, they could save many lives."